Former Man Utd star Paul Ince has conceded that he still has concerns over Paul Pogba despite the fact that he remained at Old Trafford this summer.
As noted by The Guardian, the 26-year-old isn’t doing a great job of silencing the speculation surrounding his future himself as he noted that a “question mark remains”.
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That’s not what Man Utd fans want to hear after he starred in their 4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday to get their season off to a flying start, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer undoubtedly delighted with the team’s performance on the opening weekend of the new campaign.
However, Ince still isn’t convinced over Pogba’s attitude and approach on the pitch, and has warned that there are still doubts hanging over the Frenchman given the rumours of a move elsewhere.
“It’s clear that his heart isn’t fully in it at Man United and you can see that from how he played against Chelsea,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun. “Sometimes his concentration levels weren’t as they should have been – maybe he still has it in his mind that he’s going to get away before the European window shuts in a couple of weeks.
“You’ve got a big decision after that – if he doesn’t go to Real Madrid, how’s he going to react with his performances at United, at least up until January? With him, the toys are often thrown out of the pram, but if he’s staying he needs to knuckle down for the club.
“He’s playing a dangerous game. He must keep the fans onside and the only way to do that is by putting a shift in and having the right attitude. He’s still putting himself in the shop window at the moment, and it’s clear he wants the move to Real Madrid, so I believe he’ll play to the best of his ability until their window shuts. It’ll be interesting to see what happens after that.”
On one hand, there has to be a level of professionalism involved at this level and Pogba arguably deserves the benefit of being given the chance to prove that he will give his best to Man Utd even after the transfer window closes around Europe.
Nevertheless, especially with his comments above in mind, Ince does make a fair point as his focus may still be elsewhere and that could eventually become a concern for Solskjaer if Pogba’s form dips.
Ultimately though, it seems highly unlikely that Man Utd are going to sell their prized asset this month anyway as they won’t be able to replace him until January at the earliest.
In turn, severely weakening themselves for half the season as they attempt to break back into the top four and compete for trophies is surely not going to happen.
It’s down to Pogba to prove that despite all the talk of a move elsewhere, he remains fully committed to giving his best and helping United achieve their objectives while he remains Solskjaer’s player. That is where Ince believes there could still be a problem ahead.
